Tax Hero: Tommy Cryer Passes at 62

The freedom movement lost a champion on June 4 with the passing, at age 62, of Tommy Cryer, a constitutional attorney from Shreveport, Louisiana who defeated the IRS in federal court.

“Tom was an inspiration and friend. I will miss him and know that we will carry him and his many contributions in each of our hearts as we continue his work.” – George Shepherd, Publisher Republic Magazine

Here’s more about Tom and his story:

A few months after graduating with honors from Louisiana State University (LSU) Law School in 1973, Cryer served as a special adviser and draftsman at the Louisiana Constitutional Convention. Two years later he opened a legal practice that extended into several fields of civil and criminal law. He also argued several cases before the state supreme court. In recognition of his distinguished achievements, Cryer was inducted into the LSU Law School Hall of Fame in 1987.

In June, 1994, Tom had a life-changing encounter with a man who made a provocative claim: He insisted that the Internal Revenue Code did not make him liable to pay income tax. Intrigued but skeptical, Cryer devoted his first-class legal mind to the task of debunking that claim. Instead, his research documented that there is no income tax liability relative to American citizens.

Cryer, who had a great deal to lose, was presented with a dilemma: Should he put his head down and pretend not to know the truth, or honor his oath to support and defend the rule of law and the Constitution? At some considerable personal cost, Cryer chose the patriot’s path.

It became clear to Cryer that the US government, through a deliberate fraud of unprecedented dimensions, is stealing trillions of dollars from honest, hard-working Americans, and using this stolen wealth to expand its reach far beyond its intended role. The perpetrators of that fraud are using the sweat and labor of Americans to destroy their country.

To establish legal standing, Cryer stopped filing and paying income tax UNLESS and UNTIL the government could show him it had the legal right to demand he do either. He was charged with two counts of tax evasion, which charges were later reduced to two counts of failure to file.

On July 9, 2007, Cryer was put on trial in Federal District Court in Shreveport. In presenting his defense, he learned first-hand how far tyranny has advanced within the US government — even into the courtrooms. The judge, acting as an undisguised ally of the prosecution, violated the canons of judicial conduct, the laws of evidence, and principles of due process by forbidding Tom to present any physical evidence or material facts. He also attempted to hamper Cryer’s testimony, in which he described the evidence he had accumulated demonstrating that he did not have any income tax liability — and that the law, as written, does not say with the IRS tells them it says.

Despite the judge’s successful effort to prevent Cryer from presenting material evidence to bolster his case, the jury found his testimony credible and convincing. Following only a few hours of deliberation, the jury returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty on both counts.

Following his victory in federal court, Cryer filed a civil rights lawsuit against the U.S. Government. He also founded Truth Attack, an educational organization devoted to educating the American people about the crimes the IRS has committed against the American people since 1913.

Joe Banister, a former IRS Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent who has become one of the agency’s most outspoken and effective critics, was also singled out for vindictive prosecution by the federal government, and prevailed in court at substantial personal cost. At the time of Cryer’s death, he and Banister were organizing a campaign involving a group of experienced, capable attorneys — “people who had been in the arena,” in Banister’s words — who could educate the public about the fundamentally fraudulent nature of the tax collection system.

“Tom and I came to understand that it’s all about your intention, or what is called the `willfulness’ component of the law,” Banister explains. “Because the law is so complex — it’s designed to be all but unintelligible — people have a difficult time understading that they really have no duty or liability regarding the income tax. We wanted to help people understand that this system isn’t being opposed by `evil, greedy lawbreakers,’ as the IRS insists, but by intelligent and principled people of good conscience.”

“Tom would often ask me, `How do we wake people up? Where are the other Joe Banisters in the system?’ We really believed that through our efforts we could inform the public and perhaps even stir the conscience of that small number of people in government — whether it’s one percent, or a fraction of a percent — who could be led to embrace and defend the truth.”

While Tom Cryer is no longer among us, that effort will continue.

The memorial service will take place Thursday, June 7, at Centuries Memorial Funeral HomeGET DIRECTIONS

The viewing will take place at 9:00 a.m. with the ceremony following at 10:00.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, a donation be sent to the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital.

Those interested in making personal donations to the family should send them to:

Betty Woodard
3415 Seminole Dr
Shreveport, LA 71107

Tom Cryer The Plan

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIC8d0hf-Ug[/youtube]

U.S Income Tax is a fraud(Tom Cryer)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4nb62cAM3Q[/youtube]

“It’s a shame that we must remember the joy and value that others add to our lives only after we’ve lost them. I ask that you remember Tom and our other fallen brothers and sisters now by
taking a few minutes to tell someone close or somebody that has been an inspiration to you, how much you appreciate them.” – George Shepherd

Let every hero taken from us during our campaign for what is right, only strengthen our resolve and unite us.